An Introduction to Chappaqua Friends Meeting

WELCOME

We warmly welcome you to Chappaqua Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). We hope your experience here will nourish you on your spiritual journey. Please join us for our social hour after worship. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

WORSHIP

If you have never attended an unprogrammed Quaker meeting for worship, your first one may surprise you. Quakers in our tradition gather in silence. We try to quiet the superficial chatter in our minds, calm our hearts, and seek the source of love and truth in our lives. Friends describe this source in various ways: God, the Spirit, the Inward Light, the Divine, the Christ Within, the still small voice.

We meet in plain, unadorned rooms because we have found that in such places we are best able to listen for the source of love and truth. There are no pulpits in our meeting room because we minister to each other. Our benches face each other because we are all equal. Our form of worship is called “unprogrammed” because we have no prearranged prayers, readings, sermons, or hymns – we wait for divine guidance.

During worship, anyone may rise to give a spoken message. Friends value messages that are from the heart and are prompted by the Spirit. We also value the silence we share together. Following a spoken message, we return to the silence to absorb what has been said. Meeting for worship ends after about an hour when one Friend, designated in advance, shakes hands with a neighbor. Then everyone shakes hands.

Children The meeting offers programs for children (First Day School) from September to June. Children attend part of Sunday worship with their teachers. Children are always welcome in worship. Infant care is also available.

HISTORY

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) began in England around 1650 during the unsettled times following the Protestant Reformation, and shortly afterward spread to the American colonies. The first meeting for worship in Chappaqua took place in 1745.

Early Friends turned to the original teachings of Jesus, rejecting the hierarchy and hypocrisy they saw in the church of their time. They found that each person could experience God directly without the need for clergy or liturgy. “Quaker” was originally an epithet for Friends who appeared to tremble with religious fervor. Today we call ourselves both Friends and Quakers.

BELIEFS

Chappaqua Friends are diverse theologically. We nevertheless experience profound spiritual community, united by a belief that there is that of God in every person. It is our commitment to the essential goodness in one another and in all people that draws us to walk together. We invite you to join us on this journey.

TESTIMONIES

Inspired by the Inward Light and the belief that there is that of God in everyone, Friends have developed a commitment to peace, integrity, simplicity, community, equality, and stewardship. Over time spent in worship, individuals have found these Quaker testimonies to be helpful in their daily lives. Friends also bear public witness to the testimonies in a variety of ways, including: promoting alternatives to violence and war; recognizing the right of same sex marriage; working to end racism; assisting the homeless; promoting prison reform and restorative justice; and building a right relationship with the environment. Organizations such as Friends Committee on National Legislation and American Friends Service Committee promote Quaker testimonies at the national and international level.

MEETING FOR BUSINESS

Once a month Chappaqua Friends hold a meeting for worship with a concern for business to make decisions affecting the community. All members and attenders are welcome to participate. Meeting for business proceeds in a spirit of worship and an atmosphere of love and respect. Decisions are based not on voting or majority rule, but on a gathered insight in which the whole meeting unites. We call this the “sense of the meeting.”

QUAKER CONNECTIONS

Chappaqua Friends have opportunities to take part in wider Quaker bodies to which the meeting belongs. Purchase Quarter, which includes seven Meetings in our area, gathers four times a year for worship, programs, fellowship, and meeting for business. New York Yearly Meeting meets three times a year in sessions open to everyone. Over 600 Friends attend the week-long annual NYYM summer sessions, held in late July at Silver Bay on Lake George. Through NYYM we are affiliated with Friends around the world.

Friends in our region also enjoy programs offered by two Quaker conference and retreat centers: Powell House in Old Chatham, NY, and Pendle Hill in Wallingford, PA. Among its other offerings, Pendle Hill regularly hosts “Inquirers’ Weekends” for those new to Quakerism. Meeting children (4th through 12th grade) have participated in Powell House youth weekends and Quaker summer camps.

Once a year, Friends General Conference hosts a week-long Gathering in the United States or Canada which provides opportunities for worship, learning, and fellowship. The Gathering offers special programs for children, teens, and young adults.

BECOMING PART OF THE MEETING

We invite you to attend and participate as you are interested. Our meetings for worship, activities, meetings for business, and service on many committees are open to all. Announcements after meeting for worship will let you know what is scheduled. You are also welcome to receive our newsletter the Almanak (paper or electronic) and to be on our email list.

Contributions Another way to be part of the meeting is to share in its financial cost. We do not have dues or pass a collection plate. Contributions of any size may be given to the clerk or mailed to the treasurer at the meeting address. Most Quakers make contribution at least once a year based on what they can afford.

Membership in the Religious Society of Friends is open to all who find our ways of worshiping and searching for the divine to be helpful and supportive of their own spiritual journey. Because we believe this decision is personal, we will not press you to become a member. The clerks of the meeting and members of the Ministry and Counsel Committee are happy to talk with you about the Meeting, about Friends in general, and about the membership process.